Professional quality video production equipment, although increasingly available, remains beyond the financial resources of the average consumer. At the same time, general-purpose computer technology has advanced, and the cost of equipment that is capable of producing many of the most sophisticated video effects and picture manipulations has been reduced so that even average consumers may create video productions of their own. However, while the cost of this kind of equipment is no longer the barrier it once was, there are still technical challenges related to the integration of the various pieces of equipment.
In order to ensure that consumers can properly use the capabilities available, it is necessary to make the interconnection and operation of this equipment sufficiently straightforward that even one with no technical training or experience can achieve satisfactory results. In particular, whenever more than one video source is employed, it is necessary to adjust the timing of the sources so that their electronic signals are in synchronization. The required controls for these adjustments are not provided on consumer cameras, as this type of equipment is generally intended for use in stand-alone systems consisting of a video camera and VCR which may or may not be an integral part of the camera. Currently, no equipment exists which is capable of integrating multiple "live" signals from cameras or camcorders into multimedia-based video production systems. As such, a need remains for a system which provides the necessary facilities to use these cameras and camcorders as part of a far more sophisticated system, one in which professional-type performance is available.